The extention of life
by shadowpheonix64
Summary: A new girl, a researcher, had accidently released a virus into the Dentech server. Her actions throw the network into chaos, and someone is watching her, waiting for her to slip up.chapter 6 back up
1. Chapter 1

This is a facfiction based on theRockman.EXE anime series, but theres not catagory for that so its here instead. Don't get mad if you dont like it, if you dont like it then read something else.

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MM: NTW: Life 

Lan and Megaman had been surfing the internet for a few hours now. Megaman had been trying to convince Lan to complete his research task for school but Lan had been more interested in trying to find someone to battle and balancing his pen on his nose. Megaman had been standing around in the center of the city waiting for Roll to turn up. A small screen appeared by Megaman's face.

'This is so boring!' Lan yelped from the screen. 'Where's Roll?'

'I don't know Lan and you yelling won't change anything.' Megaman mumbled as he looked around the city. 'Hey who's that?' He had seen a human female navi who was perched on the railing of a building. She was in ice blue, midnight blue and dark grey. And most surprisingly she didn't wear a helmet, she had short cut blue hair, but she also had small feathery wings sprouting out of her back up near her shoulder blades. She looked depressed and was gazing into the virtual sunset blindly.

'I thought that you were with Roll?' A voice asked from behind him. Megaman spun around and saw Protoman standing with his arms folded.

'Protman!' Megaman cried happily. It had been a few weeks since they had last met. 'It's good to see you.'

'Likewise.' Protoman said. 'What were you looking at?' Megaman turned around and pointed at the rails where the navi had sat only moments ago.

'There was a…navi up there…' Megaman started.

A girl sat on a park bench alone staring at a PET. She had mid length brown hair with some red streaks through it tied back by a short length of ribbon, stunning eyes which were a mix of blue and brown and wore three-quarter length tan trousers, a blue T-shirt, white and blue trainers and wore a silver feather hanging from plaited thread around her neck. She pulled a bag out from underneath the bench and found her glasses. She sighed as the screen flashed. She placed the PET in the pouch at the back of her belt and stood up. It was time to go home. She wandered down the street and gazed into the shop windows as she passed them. Night had well and truly set in.

'So…are we going home?' The navi asked. The girl retrieved the PET and smiled at the navi.

'Yeah.' She replied. 'We are.' She found her way to the right street and walked up to a house. She unlocked the door and stepped into the main living area. There were computers everywhere with cables connecting them all. Several of the computers were running and beeping at regular intervals.

'Jack me in.' The navi stated and the girl walked over to the PET station which was plugged into the master computer. The navi appeared on the screen and grinned at the netop. 'I didn't find much in the network. Except that Ayano Tech and Blaze Quest have their head quarters here in Dentech. I didn't think that it would be a good idea to hack into them then.'

'You were right.' The girl said calmly. 'But we will soon enough. We will find what we need and I will be able to go home.' There was a slight hint of hysterics in her voice but both the navi and the netop ignored it.

'Emma I think that you should sleep. It's getting close to 10pm.' The navi said.

'I think you're right Angel X.' Emma muttered. 'I think I will.' She found her swivel chair and sat down on it facing the wrong way, leaning on the backrest. 'But… not just yet.'

'Fine then. I'm going to run some diagnostics. I have a feeling that we're being watched.' Angel X said clearly and immediately, behind her appeared 2 small programs which looked rather like mettaurs, except that they were blue and carried miniature samurai swords instead of pickaxes. 'Check the access routes and I want them guarded too. No one is getting into the computer without a fight.'

'I want you to find the locations of the Ayano Tech and Blaze Quest headquarters.' Emma said quickly. 'I want to do some digging.' The blue mettaurs dissolved off the screen and Angel X glared at her net op.

'Your father wouldn't approve.' Angel X spat. 'If he finds out then…'

'…I know.' Emma replied hastily. 'But if he won't tell me about these companies then I will find out for myself.' Angel X sighed. There would be no stopping her now. She was determined to defy her father no matter what the consequences.

'Well, if your have to hack into them…'

'Who said anything about hacking?'

'That's what you normally do.'

'They aren't normal companies.'

'What do you mean?'

'They are state of the art computer companies. Hacking into them would be stupid.'

'So you're going to…?'

'Pay them a visit.'

'Oh dear.'

It hadn't taken long to find the location of both companies headquarters and Angel X had resumed running checks on the computer with the blue mettaurs and Emma had gone back to organising the flat. Together with her navi, Emma lived above a corner shop in Dentech City. She had moved in only a few days ago and the flat actually belonged to her father who owned a computer and technology company. He said that he wanted to give her a chance to gain independence and was quite happy for her to live alone. Her mother had died in an explosion in one of the old labs 6 years ago. The flat had only 2 rooms, a bathroom and a multipurpose room which was the kitchen/living room/bedroom. Emma, once done with her tidying – if you could call the flat tidy afterwards, had collapsed onto the sofa. It was getting too late, close to midnight, and it was clear that she was tired.

'Well it looks like the computer is fine.' Angel X said from the computer. She shooed the blue mettaurs into a file to save them for later.

'That's good.' Emma mumbled. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open and was desperate to be told that she could go to bed.

'And I've printed out the addresses of Ayano Tech and Blaze Quest's headquarters and maps.' Angel X explained. Emma merely grunted in response. 'I'm hope you are actually going to go to bed and not just sleep sprawled over the sofa.' Emma rolled into a more upright position and rubbed her eyes.

'Okay okay.' Emma started. 'Wait, is the phoenix alright?' She sat bolt upright and waited while Angel X pulled up a small screen beside her.

'The phoenix is fine. The cage is holding fine but I'd get it strengthened soon.' Angel X replied. Emma nodded and pulled out the fold out bed from the sofa. Angel X smiled at her net op, who was stripping off and promptly collapsed into bed.

'Goodnight Angel X.' Emma whispered. Angel X sighed before switching off the lights. Emma had wired everything into the computer so that Angel X could control the house if she needed to.

There was a beeping, it was getting louder, and it was annoying. Emma rolled over to face the source of the noise, the computer.

'Uhh?' She groaned as she opened her eyes. She saw flashing warning signs and immediately woke herself up. 'Angel X! What happened?' She flung the covers on the floor and darted over to the computer, not stopping to sit down. 'Angel X where are you?' She sped through some files before finding Angel X lying unconscious in the blue mettaurs file. 'Wake up! Wake up!' Angel X just lay there unresponsive. 'Oh man I need some help.' She bypassed the warning signs and found her way onto the internet. She looked at the computer's clock, it was only 3am. She was hoping to find someone online on the Dentech server even though it was so early. She hurriedly scanned the cyber city and gave a sigh of relief when she spotted a lone net navi. She opened a channel to the red navi.

'Excuse me but…' Emma started before realising she had no way of knowing who's navi she was talking to. 'Can you please help me?' The navi, which was still ignoring her, merely stared past her face on the screen. 'Please.' She was begging now. A face flicked into focus next to the navi. It was a boy with white and black hair and stunning blue eyes. Emma coughed subconsciously. He was cute, very cute.

'What do you want?' He asked, although it sounded more like a command.

'I…I…I need your help.' She stammered. He looked like he wasn't paying attention. 'Please, the virus I was working on finding a solution to, Project Phoenix, has escaped.' Now she had his attention. 'Please. I can't do this alone.'


	2. Chapter 2

'_Please, the virus I was working on finding a solution to, Project Phoenix, has escaped.' Now she had his attention. 'Please. I can't do this alone.'_

'And what do you expect me to do about it?' The boy asked. Even through the net his gaze was heavy, she felt trapped by it. The red navi looked across at the girl and then back at his net op.

'Chaud. She has no navi.' He commented. Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't have time for any of this but she did have the cute guy's name now.

'Hmm.' Chaud murmured. This was very strange. Generally everyone had some kind of back up navi they would use if their own became seriously damaged. But this girl had none with her, yet she was still exploring the net as if she was linking through a PET.

'Please. My navi…' Emma pleaded. 'I can't wake her up. She's just laying there on the desktop…'

'Your navi?' Chaud asked.

'She's hurt!' Emma cried. Protoman flinched, there was something odd about this girl, but he would have to tell Chaud later. 'Please. If you wont help me track the virus then please just wake her up.' Protoman looked at his operator, Chaud didn't look impressed.

'I'll wake her up. But that's all.' Protoman said. Chaud stared at Protoman confused. 'We are net saviours. We have a duty to help her.' Chaud sighed. Protoman was right.

'Fine then.' Chaud moaned. 'Open the pathway to your computer.'

It had been a little more difficult than Chaud and Protoman had expected, but only a little. The small blue mettaurs with samurai swords were stubborn things who refused to just simply be deleted. But it had got Emma and Chaud talking. They had to. Emma knew the easy way to defeat them.

'I'm going to have to alter their programming after this…' Emma mumbled to herself.

'Why?' Chaud asked. Emma hadn't realised that he had been listening.

'Because you know how to get past them, you're a security risk.' Emma answered quickly. She didn't like giving out information about her computer or any of her creations. 'She should be somewhere in this folder.' Emma pointed towards a pale blue folder on the desktop. Protoman walked up to it and it opened willingly. Data spilled out and so did the body of Angel X.

'Is that her?' Protoman asked. There was a slight hint of curiosity in his voice. There wasn't a navi like her.

'That's her, Angel X.' Emma said as she looked at the fallen navi with saddened eyes. She was sprawled awkwardly on the floor, laying on her side, and expressionless. 'Please Protoman…' He responded to her words without realising it and carefully rolled Angel X onto her back. She was worse off than she had originally looked.

'Chaud, we can't wake her here, she's disintegrating.' Protoman stated clearly. Emma closed her eyes and thought for a moment as did Chaud. They couldn't take her away…they couldn't…she was all she had.

'We'll have to take her.' Chaud said reluctantly. 'I gave my word that we would we would wake her.'

'No!' Emma yelped. Her eyes filled with tears. 'You can't move her…'

'Then you don't want our help.' Chaud declared. The sooner this ended the better.

'But Chaud…' Protoman started.

'You can't move her…' Emma said blinking back tears. 'But they can.' She signalled to the blue mettaurs with swords drawn that had been slowly creeping up on Protoman. 'It's okay, he won't hurt you.' With her words they calmed down a little.

'Met?' One asked Emma. She smiled back at it and wiped her eyes.

'They can save her.' She replied. Suddenly the blue mettaurs threw aside their swords and scurried over to Angel X. 'Follow Protoman and do as he says.' Chaud was, to some degree, surprised at how the blue mettaurs listened to her. They lifted Angel X onto their heads at looked up at Protoman expectedly. 'I need to be with her while you fix her…' Chaud, surprised, looked across at Emma. 'I…she…she'll expect me to be there when she wakes up. No doubt there'll be something she wants to tell me.'

'Can't you just watch from where you are?' Chaud asked. He didn't want to let anyone into Blaze Quest.

'And you'll just give me access from here? While I can still use my computer?' Emma responded. This was a rare opportunity to access Blaze Quest without hacking into its mainframe, which would be stupid.

'She has a point Chaud.' Protoman remarked. He knew just how much Chaud was against giving anyone free access to the company.

She walked through the automatic doors in awe of the building. It was a huge skyscraper which boasted both the best technological advancement and the combined style of all the ages. She looked around the lobby which was furnished beautifully. Emma continued to marvel at the building even when Chaud appeared from the lift. She span around slowly, admiring the room, until she faced Chaud.

'Oh, thank you for letting me come here.' She said. 'I was hoping to visit Blaze Quest at some point anyway.' She smiled at him and he just brushed her off.

'This way.' He muttered. She followed him into a lift and he pushed the button for the 28th floor. The doors closed and the upwards jerk caused Emma to stumble and grab the rail. Chaud looked at her in an odd fashion. She defiantly wasn't normal.

'I've never been in a building as big as this before.' Emma stated with a smile.

'This isn't the largest building that Blaze Quest owns.' Chaud said. He didn't know why he said it, but he had. The lift stopped and the jerk caused Emma to stumble again, but this time, Chaud steadied her. As the doors opened he relinquished her arm and led her out of the lift.

'Wow.' Emma gasped. 'This is amazing! I can't believe it!' She was completely absorbed by the lab that they had entered. She almost forgot the reason why she had come to this magnificent place. 'So where is she?'

'Over here.' Chaud muttered. She followed him to a console and sat down next to him. She looked at the screen and gasped. Angel X was lying down, covered in cables. Emma swallowed, this wasn't a natural healing process, under normal circumstances she wouldn't let this happen.

'Let's get started.' Emma stated swiftly. Chaud started the restoration program and they both watched Angel X being rebuilt.

'What exactly happened?' Protoman asked. Emma was taken back by his appearance. He was within the healing console.

'Oh…I think it was the Phoenix virus that attacked her when it somehow got free from its cage.' Emma said.

'The Phoenix virus…what's that?' Chaud asked. Emma hung her head in her hands and laughed gently.

'One of the biggest mistakes of my life.' She yelped. 'There is nothing quite like it in the world. And I haven't found the solution yet.'

'I doubt it could stand up to Protoman and myself in full-synchro.' Chaud smirked.

'It can. From what I have been able to determine, it has to be destroyed from the inside. Someone has to force a full-synchro with it. But right now, that isn't possible so I've been restraining it.' Emma said without breathing.

'Sounds like a challenge Chaud.' Protoman said boastingly. Chaud let out a rare smile.

'So where is this Phoenix virus?' Chaud asked seriously.

'Like I'd tell you.' Emma answered spitefully. The console beeped, the repairs were finished. Emma jacked her PET into the console and inserted a chip.

'Ughhh…' Angel X groaned as she righted herself. 'Wha…what…where am I?'

'If you're not going to tell me where this virus is, then you're done here.' Chaud stated.

'Wait…' Angel X muttered. She grabbed Protoman's hand and pulled herself up using him to steady herself. 'The virus didn't attack me, someone released it.'

'Who?' Emma questioned. Chaud went to interrupt but was cut off by something in Emma's pocket beeping. 'Found it. We'll talk about this later. Lets' go.'

'Thank you Protoman for helping me.' Angel X smiled just before she was jacked out of the console. Emma removed the jack in cable and turned to Chaud.

'Thank you for your help. But now that this has happened, I won't allow it to happen again.' Emma smirked. 'Next time, I'll be the one helping you.' She went over to the lift and waited.

'We could just follow you.' Chaud muttered.

'No one can follow me.' Emma grinned. 'I'd love to see you try, but there's a good chance that you'd never make it back.' The lift doors opened, she walked inside and hit the button for the lobby. 'Goodbye.' The lift doors shut and Chaud looked down at Protoman.

'That was a little ominous.' He said off-hand. Protoman looked aside.

'Was it right to let them go?' Protoman asked.

'If she wants to get herself destroyed then it's her own problem.'

'But the virus…'

'If she goes down then I guess we'll have to step in.'

'So we are going to follow her.'

'You don't think I'd repair a navi and not make it so that I could track it?'

Emma was walking down the street, following the signal from her PET. She was getting closer, the beeping was becoming more continuous, and it shouldn't take too much longer. The Phoenix virus hadn't been given a specific goal and so would have found a secure place to hide itself. The self-preservation program would have seen to that. If you don't know what to do, then hide, unless confronted. She looked down at her PET again and enlarged the map. It was in a small building in the next block.

'Hey Emma, we're being followed.' Angel X said calmly. 'You want me to blow the tracker yet?' Emma kept walking without responding. 'I guess not.' Emma turned the corner and looked at a small shop and then at the PET and then back at the shop.

'I can't believe it.' She whispered. Angel X pulled the map down in front of her and laughed softly.

'A battle chip shop?' She giggled.

'Now's not the time. Protoman and Chaud will be here as soon as you're in the network.' Emma remarked. 'We won't have much time before they come to fight the virus.'

'I guess. But they're both nice guys, it wouldn't hurt to have a little help would it.' Angel X commented.

'Both of them?' Emma asked, confused. 'Sure the navi is helpful but the operator could do with some people skills. I would like to meet Protoman though.'

'If you survive this then I'm sure that you'll be able to.' Angel X sighed. 'You do realise that this is practically a suicide mission?' Emma hung her head down.

'This is my problem. I have to fix it.' She muttered. Emma looked back up at the shop and smiled. 'Let's do this.' She strode into the shop and looked around quickly, there was a group of kids standing around a battle stadium that would do for a point of entry. She lent against the wall and watched them battle for a while.

'We don't have time for this!' Angel X hissed.

'Just a little longer. They're almost done.' Emma whispered back.

'Alright Megaman!' The boy with the blue headband cried joyfully. He was obviously the winner of the battle. 'Better luck next time Dex.' The large boy with the foul hair cut and green tee shirt looked like he was going to cry.

'I thought we had him this time Gutsman.' Dex sniffed.

'Don't worry Dex, Megaman is way stronger than Gutsman right now.' The girl with the pink hair and skirt said reassuringly. The little blond girl snapped a mobile phone shut and sighed.

'Father's sending the limo again. He said he would take me out for dinner but he's going to be late again.' She complained. 'How about you come to dinner Maylu?'

'Sure.' The pink haired girl, Maylu answered. Emma walked up to the battle stadium.

'Nice battle, shame about your opponent.' Emma said to the boy with the headband. 'But it was unfair to unleash full-synchro on him.'

'Lan, do you know her?' Maylu asked.

'Lan?' Emma asked. 'The net-battler Lan Hikari? What a find.'

'Are you looking for a net battle?' He jumped in.

'Maybe, but first there's something I need to do.' She replied. 'So I need to use this terminal for a few minutes, but I promise you I will battle you once I'm done.'

'O…okay.' Lan said quietly. Emma jacked her PET into the terminal and Angel X appeared in the centre of the stadium.

'Hey! I saw you yesterday in the city!' Megaman exclaimed.

'I thought I was being watched…' Angel X commented. 'Could you do me a favour?' Megaman nodded, there was something odd about this navi. 'If Protoman turns up, could you keep him busy till I'm done?' Angel X closed her eyes and the area around her melted into the internet, Megaman went with her.

'What's happening?' Lan asked.

'Nothing yet.' Emma said calmly. 'But keep out of our way. You wouldn't want your navi to get deleted would you?'

There was a deep rumbling and a black shadow covered both Angel X and Megaman. A deafening screech echoed through the shadow and Emma smiled. 'Let's see if the insertion program works…'


	3. Chapter 3

I'm going to make a quick point here, each chapter is written about 3 times before its typed up. I do this to make sure that the story is moving with the plot that ive layed out. And i'm sorry if its moving a little quickly for some people, its just how i write.

Last point, i would like some feedback and reviews please. Whether it's nice or down right mean. I will try and use critisism to improve my story.

Thankyou

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_There was a deep rumbling and a black shadow covered both Angel X and Megaman. A deafening screech echoed through the shadow and Emma smiled. 'Let's see if the insertion program works…'_

The signal had stopped at Higsby's Battle Chip shop. Chaud hadn't bothered to call up a car, it wasn't that far and the roads were busy. It was faster to just run. The Phoenix virus would be there otherwise Angel X wouldn't have stopped. Just who was this mysterious girl and her navi? The computer had difficulties rebuilding Angel X. It was like she was designed to be beyond normal capabilities.

'Chaud…' Protoman said. 'There's something about Emma that's different.'

'Like what?' Chaud panted. Okay so maybe it wasn't that close.

'Didn't you notice that while Angel X was down, she wasn't exactly fine?' Protoman asked. 'And then when you repaired Angel X she suddenly got an energy boost? It's like she's always in a state of synchronization with Angel X.'

'But that's not possible.' Chaud said.

Angel X stared up at the beast that cast such a huge shadow and Megaman followed her gaze up at the creature.

'Phoenix…' Emma smirked. 'Lan! Don't forget to keep Chaud busy, otherwise this thing's going to destroy everyone.' The mischievous smile on Emma's face told Lan to listen.

'Emma.' Angel X said coolly. 'Maybe it's time to start.' Emma nodded and fed 5 battle chips into her PET. 'Program Advance! Omega Arrow spread!' A rain of arrows flew at the beast. For a moment, Maylu thought that she could see Emma standing right beside Angel X, not as a part of her. Lan gritted his teeth, wasn't he good enough for this?

'You should go Emma!' Angel X cried.

'W…what?' Lan stammered.

'Fine.' Emma said. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She knew everything about the phoenix. The phoenix rose in a glory of fire and sent blazes of burning missiles down on Angel X.

'Lan! Look!' Maylu cried.

'Is that…?' Yai gasped. What looked like a shadow or echo of Emma had shimmered into focus in front of the phoenix, except she now wore a simple white open necked shirt and matching shorts. They looked across at Emma, who had fallen into a trance like state. Her breathing was steady and rhythmical and every so often her eyelids would flutter. The echo walked up to the phoenix, which was still defending itself from Angel X who was working without an operator.

'Hurry up!' Angel X screamed as she fired the Z-cannon. Megaman could only watch. The netop had entered the net without using a remote device. He was stunned, as was everyone else, it was unreal. The echo raised its arm and placed a hand on the feathery breast of the phoenix. There was a scream from the phoenix and a brilliant flash of red light.

'What happened?' Dex asked.

'Any ideas Glyde?' Yai asked her PET.

'From the looks of it, that flash was just like the light that's emitted when full-synchro is achieved.' Glyde answered. 'But full-synchro shouldn't be possible in this situation. That thing's not even a net-navi!' At that moment Chaud burst through the doors with his PET in hand.

'Chaud!' Lan cried. Chaud ignored him at stared at the stadium. Angel X was struggling against a huge phoenix and Megaman was just watching her and being ignored by the flaming beast.

'Sister?' A voice said.

'Mmm…what?' Emma muttered. She opened her eyes and found herself staring up at the sky. But it looked different, wrong somehow.

'Welcome Sister.' The voice said. Emma frowned, she knew the voice but couldn't place who it belonged to. 'I am glad that you have come to me. You have been missed by your brothers.' She sat up and rubbed her head.

'Where am I?' Emma asked.

'Look.' The voice said. A screen appeared in front of her and she could see Angel X firing directly at her.

'I see. You are the phoenix.' Emma murmured. 'Then the insertion program worked.'

'Barely. Your physical body is still in the "real" world.' The phoenix said calmly.

'So this is your mind?' Emma asked.

'Yes, but you know that I am not complete yet. If I return to where I was before will you complete me? I yearn to become whole and to have a purpose. What is my purpose?' The phoenix asked.

'You were originally designed to be a weapon against Ayano Tech and Blaze Quest.' Emma smirked. 'But I can see that you could achieve so much more. I'll finish your basic programming. But I won't give you the instincts that were intended.'

'Why?'

'I want you to become an individual.'

'I can see why you broke away from your brothers.'

'Who are you talking about?' The phoenix paused for a moment. Angel X's barrage of attacks were slowing down.

'Your brothers, they wanted power and unity. I can see that you believe in the individual.' The phoenix said. 'They will try and take you home. To where this all started. You must leave me if I am to return to my "cage".' Emma nodded and was overtaken by light.

'She's waking up.' Dex said. Emma opened her eyes slowly.

'Huh…what…' Emma mumbled. She tried to focus as she sat up.

'It's okay.' Maylu reassured. 'You passed out.' Emma went to stand up but couldn't find the strength to lift herself.

'I need to speak to Angel X.' Emma groaned.

'She's still fighting the phoenix.' Lan said. 'I'm sorry, but Chaud and Protoman are helping her.'

'No!' Emma cried. She forced herself up and ripped Chaud's jack in cable from the console. 'Stop it! Don't hurt it! It's promised to go back to its cage!' It took her a few moments after pulling the cable to realise that Chaud was standing right next to her.

'Emma?' Angel X asked before smiling. She fell to her knees and was caught by Protoman and Megaman before hitting the floor.

'Chaud…w…why did you come here?' Emma questioned although she knew that he wanted to battle the phoenix. She wanted to hear something else. He looked at her, into her eyes, and saw confusion. It was like there was something, some worry that was tearing her in two.

'I came for the virus.' Chaud said a little colder than he intended. He saw her look away, and realised that he had hurt her. He hadn't meant to. For some reason, he cared that he had hurt her.

'Angel X. I'm going to send the new cage to you.' Emma said her voice thick. She grabbed her PET off the top of the console and pulled a battle chip out of her trouser pocket.

'What are you going to do?' Maylu asked.

'I sending the phoenix back home. I made a promise to it.' Emma said quickly. She slotted the single chip into the PET. 'Heavens Wall, download.' A thin jet of golden light appeared in front of Angel X and danced around her for a moment, leaving a slight trail which shimmered until it faded. The thread of light danced over to the phoenix and the trail hardened into a solid gold cage. The light kept weaving its cage until the phoenix was sealed within the cage. 'Take it home Angel X. I'll meet you there.'

'Alright.' Angel X said. She walked up to the cage and placed her hand on the marvellous cage. She quickly looked at Protoman. 'Bye Protoman. I'll see you soon!' She disappeared into the internet and there was suddenly a thump.

'Emma!' Lan, Maylu, Yai and Dex cried simultaneously. Chaud span around from looking at the forming of the cage and saw Emma crouched over on the floor, holding her chest in pain.

'What…Emma…' He started. She coughed violently and blood splattered over her lips. 'So this is the price for fusing your consciousness with something that's not a net-navi.' He joined the others on the floor with the others. For some reason, he was concerned.

'It's not a forced fusion.' Emma coughed to everyone's amazement. 'The navi activates an insertion program which transfers the operator's consciousness from the navi into a target.' She coughed again, trying to keep herself awake. 'It's a brand new program that…that…' She passed out before she could finish explaining. Maylu and Yai caught Emma as she fell forwards. Chaud couldn't move. He was rooted to the stop.

'We need to get her to a hospital.' Dex said as Higsby ran over.

'Hey what happened here?' Higsby asked. The he saw Emma leaning unconscious against Maylu and Yai. 'What happened to her?'

'No time Higsby.' Lan said firmly. 'We need to take her to the hospital.'

'I'll call up a car.' Yai said as she pulled out her mobile phone again, dialling hurriedly.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey i know its been a while since i updated so this one is extra long, sorry theres not much battling and my skills at writing simple sappy stuffare rather bad.

please review!

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'_Hey what happened here?' Higsby asked. The he saw Emma leaning unconscious against Maylu and Yai. 'What happened to her?'_

'_No time Higsby.' Lan said firmly. 'We need to take her to the hospital.'_

'_I'll call up a car.' Yai said as she pulled out her mobile phone again, dialling hurriedly. _

Emma woke up in a sterile white room. She was looking up at a tiled ceiling. There were exactly 46 tiles on the ceiling. She heard the door click shut and closed her eyes. A lone pair of footsteps moved over to the bed she was in and she could hear a vase being placed on the bedside table. She found herself wanting it to be Chaud who was standing beside her. She couldn't help herself and so opened her eyes.

'Lan…' She mumbled. She discovered that she was disappointed. She looked at the flowers, they were daffodils in full bloom, there was a card attached. She reached for the card, it had a picture of a puppy on it, and the inside of the card was signed by Yai and Maylu.

'They were worried about you after you collapsed.' Lan said kindly. He placed his contribution down on the bed. It was a plain white envelope.

'Thank you Lan.' Emma said quietly.

'Well go on. Open it.' Lan smiled. Emma opened the envelope and 5 battle chips fell onto the bed sheets. She picked them up carefully.

'Geyser, Longblade, Boomer1, Binder1, Twinfang1.' She read aloud. 'Thank you Lan.' She looked away from him, she felt embarrassed because she wanted Chaud to be worried about her. Sure it was nice to have so many people concerned for her but right now …she just wanted to go home and to know that Chaud was worried about her. She sighed and Lan, as dense as he was, gathered that she wanted to be alone.

'I'll come by later. Bye.' He said softly as he left, closing the door behind him. Emma stared at the door for a minute or two. Maybe she should have been more grateful. After a short while she decided that she was bored of the hospital and found that she wanted to go home. Angel X was still missing from her PET and was probably waiting at home. Emma slipped on her trainers and gathered her things. She opened the door and found herself nearly nose to nose with Chaud. They both flushed pink.

'Ch…Chaud…' Emma stammered and they both took a step backwards away from each other. 'Wh …what are you doing here?' Chaud swallowed the emptiness in his throat that was preventing him from talking.

'There were a few problems with the issue of your guardian and next of kin. Without one you're not allowed to leave the hospital.' Emma's face dropped. Of course this would have happened sooner or later. 'Your father said that you could look after yourself and refused to collect you.'

'He would say that.' Emma spat. 'He's not the best father…but he's the only one I've got.' She softened as she spoke. She obviously cared more than she was letting on. 'I guess I'm stuck here then.' Chaud waited for a moment until he had decided that she had suffered enough.

'Chaud. Shouldn't we be leaving?' Protoman said rather muffled from underneath Chaud's jacket. Chaud pulled his PET out and Emma realised just how much she missed Angel X's companionship.

'Which is why he agreed to let me be your guardian for the next 24 hours.' Chaud said ignoring Protoman for a moment. 'And we are leaving now.' Emma's face lit up and she flung her arms around Chaud's neck causing him to drop Protoman. Without realising it, his arms moved themselves around her. Neither could remember the previous nervousness or embarrassment at their closeness. They were so close together that he could feel her warm laughter of joy against his neck and she could feel the steady thumping of his heart. For minute or two, they were happy and forgot about what had thrown them together like this until Emma dropped her arms. Chaud followed suit and they both looked at each other.

'I guess we should go then.' Emma blushed. She picked Protoman off the floor and handed him back to Chaud. 'Sorry about that.'

'Thank you.' Protoman said rather hurt. The previous relationship of wariness had fallen back into place and walls around themselves had been rebuilt. However as they left, there was a new mutual bond between them and there were continual flickers of glances at each other.

The walk from the hospital was quite eventful. Emma and Chaud had gone through the park and come across Maylu, Yai, Dex, Lan and Tory having a picnic. Emma ran over to them and was greeted by several hugs and was then handed a cheese sandwich. Chaud took his time coming over to the group. He still didn't get along with them all, especially Yai. Not that he wanted to get along with them especially well. They had stayed with them for about half an hour before Chaud reminded Emma that she was supposed to be at home resting. Yai looked across at Chaud in an odd fashion. Since when was he concerned about anyone except himself? She frowned at him but he was making sure that Emma had her bag. Maylu had decided to go with Chaud and Emma. There were some things that needed a girls helping hand.

They had turned up at Emma's after a short while.

'Hey Lan lives there.' Maylu said pointing across the street a little way up.

'Oh wow. I guess I'll be seeing more of you guys.' Emma smiled. It had taken the journey home to realise that she actually made some good friends. Maylu smiled back as Emma unlocked the front door. The three of them walked into the main area and Chaud was a little taken back. He could see that this one main room was used for nearly all areas of life. There were several computers, a few on the floor, and the whole room was a little messy. From Maylu's reaction, which was none really, Chaud determined that this was normal. But Maylu was just trying to be nice.

'Don't you live with your father?' Maylu asked carefully.

'No. He lives on the other side of town.' Emma said coldly. She lifted a pile of paper off one of the work surfaces onto the floor.

'The other side of town?' Chaud repeated. Emma continued to move about the room, drifting towards the computers.

'Anyone want to jack in?' Emma asked as she pulled her blank PET from her belt.

'I'd better be going. I've got work to do.' Chaud muttered. 'I might send Protoman to check up on you in a few hours.' Maylu looked confused. Chaud wasn't normally the most caring of people.

'Okay.' Emma said. 'Bye Chaud.' She nearly sang the last part. She still had those few moments where they had held each other in the front of her mind. 'Do you want to jack in Maylu?'

'Okay.' Maylu replied. She lifted her PET out from its pouch and jacked Roll into the master computer as Emma connected the blank PET. The screen flickered and an annoyed Angel X sat cross legged on the desktop.

'And what happened!' Angel X exclaimed. There was no sign of the phoenix behind her. It had obviously gone back to its original cage. Angel X jumped a little when Roll integrated next to her.

'There was a problem.' Emma said trying to avoid the question.

'A problem! What kind of problem?' Angel X screamed. Emma mumbled something under her breath and continued to wander around busying herself with meaningless tasks.

'Emma collapsed.' Roll intervened.

'Collapsed…? But…I thought that she…' Angel X stammered. 'You said that it was safe! You said that nothing would happen to either of us! You said…you said…' She disappeared into the internet without warning.

'Angel X…' Emma muttered. 'I didn't mean…' She trailed off. Maylu looked at her and then back at the computer screen.

'Roll will you go after her please.' Maylu said softly before sitting Emma down on the sofa. 'What was that about?'

'She wouldn't transfer my consciousness into the phoenix if I was going to get hurt.' Emma replied. 'I didn't think that it would be this bad. I thought it would be no worse than full-synchro.' Suddenly the screen flickered and both Angel X and Roll were standing on the desktop.

'EMMA!' They cried simultaneously.

'You have to look at this! It's from Tech Works!' Angel X yelled. Emma scrambled over to the computer with Maylu close behind.

'What is it?' Emma asked earnestly.

'Watch it!' Roll yelled as an e-mail popped into view. Emma didn't have time to hit play as Angel X started it without warning. A plain grey Tech Works navi appeared.

'Miss Lance. I have a message regarding your father. It seems that while visiting the off shore laboratory in the pacific there was a gas leak.' An image of one of the labs appeared beside the navi. 'This resulted in an explosion and unfortunately you father was killed. However, 4 hours before his death he had sold Phoenix Labs to Ayano Tech, and so you and your company Phoenix Labs now work for Ayano Tech. Thank you Miss Lance.' The window closed and Maylu placed an arm around Emma.

'I can't believe it.' Emma whispered. 'He's…he's gone.' Tears formed in her eyes even though she was trying so hard not to cry.

'It'll be okay.' Maylu reassured.

'How?' Emma sobbed. 'How can it be okay? He's gone. He was all I had left.'

'All you had left?' Maylu asked. Emma merely nodded. Emma sat there with Maylu for what seemed like an eternity. Losing someone, no matter how far apart you thought you were from them, could warp your sense of time.

'Excuse me.' A voice said from the computer.

'Who let you in here?' Angel X screamed.

'Calm down Angel X.' Roll said softly.

'No I will not calm down!' Angel X continued. 'He's not supposed to be here!'

'Who is it?' Emma asked between sobs.

'Protoman.' Roll said. Emma's head lifted and she stared at the screen again.

'Protoman…' Emma whispered. Her mind flicked back to Chaud for an instant.

'I was asked by Chaud to check on you.' Protoman said. 'And I can see that you're not alright.'

'Get out of my computer!' Angel X ranted.

'Can I be of any assistance?' Protoman asked.

'Get out!' Angel X screamed. 'Get the hell out of my computer!' Protoman flicked a glance at Angel X and sighed.

'I am here to help Emma, not interfere with your computer.' Protoman muttered. 'Shall I inform Chaud?'

'No.' Emma said quickly. 'I don't want to run to him. I said I wouldn't need his help.'

'I think that she'll be okay.' Maylu said to Protoman. 'Don't worry about telling Chaud.' With that Protoman left and Angel X calmed down dramatically. 'So what now?'

'Who did he sell Phoenix Labs to?' Emma asked as she dried her eyes. Roll rewound the message and the navi appeared again.

'…he had sold Phoenix Labs to Ayano Tech, and so you and your company Phoenix Labs now work for Ayano Tech. Thank you Miss Lance.' The window closed again and Emma looked at Angel X and grinned.

'We need to talk to someone at Ayano Tech.' Emma said.

'I can arrange that.' Maylu smiled sweetly.

'You can? How?' Emma and Angel X asked.

'I know Yai Ayano. She's a good friend of mine.' Maylu said.

Chaud had been sitting in his office when Protoman returned to him. He had kept to his word and sent Protoman to check on Emma. He had been reviewing some of Blaze Quest's recent activity and found that he was bored.

'Chaud Emma seems to be…' Protoman started before remembering what Emma had said. 'She seems to be perfectly alright. Angel X on the other hand seems to be suffering from stress.' Chaud looked at Protoman and the tiniest of smiles crept onto his face.

'You're worried?' Chaud asked.

'No!' Protoman barked hurriedly before composing himself. 'Maylu was still there, Roll too.' Chaud lent back in his chair and thought for a while.

'Did you find anything else out?' Chaud asked.

'Not yet. Mr. Lance seems to have an affinity for covering his tracks. Very well too.' Protoman answered.

'Keep looking. I want to get to the bottom of this.'

Emma and Maylu sat outside a café and were both sipping at coca-cola. It was a beautiful day and there was a gentle breeze. Emma held the feather that she usually wore around her neck in her hands. It had been the last thing that her mother had given her and she cherished it. All of a sudden Maylu stood up as a pink limo pulled up. A small girl with blonde hair and a red dress stepped out and Emma recognised her from the shop where she battled the phoenix.

'Yai I'd like you to meet Emma. She's the head scientist for Phoenix labs, the team your father just bought.' Maylu explained. Emma stood up and put the feather back around her neck.

'So you're Emma. I saw your phoenix virus, it was very impressive.' Yai said as she sat down. The waiter came over and before he could say anything Yai spoke to him. 'I'll have a strawberry milkshake.' He scurried off and Emma and Maylu sat back down.

'So you're the daughter of Ayano Tech's president.' Emma said quickly. 'And he gave you a research team?' Emma couldn't believe that someone would do that.

'I told him that Glyde needed some battle chips designed especially for him.' Yai said. 'And it seems that you're the one who's going to make them.'

'I do now belong to your father.' Emma said quietly.

'Hey it's Lan.' Maylu smiled. Sure enough Lan skated over and perched on the wall next to the table.

'Hey, I went to the hospital yesterday but you weren't there.' Lan said.

'Oh yeah. Chaud…he um…helped me out.' Emma muttered.

'As long as you're alright.' Lan grinned. 'So what's going on?'

'I was just introducing Emma and Yai.' Maylu said. 'Emma's going to work for Yai now.'

'Really? That's kinda cool I guess.' Lan said uninterested. 'Hey Maylu I'm gonna meet the others for some ice-cream, you wanna come?' Maylu looked at Yai and then Emma.

'We're fine here.' Yai said smugly. Maylu smiled and started to walk away with Lan.

'So what now?' Emma asked as Maylu and Lan disappeared around the corner and the waiter placed Yai's milkshake on the table. Yai took a sip of her milkshake.

'So what facilities do you have?' Yai asked.

'Well, I worked from home…'

'What about staff?'

'I use computer programs.'

'So you are Phoenix Labs?'

'Essentially…yeah.'

'Well we can't have that.' Yai said quickly. 'If you're going to work for me then you'll need a complete lab and staff.'

'I…I don't have the money or resources for…' Emma started.

'Phoenix Labs is now a part of Ayano Tech. My father will pay for everything.' Yai said smugly. 'So what do you need?'

Protoman looked around the cyber city and sighed. Even the synthetically perfected sky couldn't cheer him up. Chaud had set him what seemed to be an endless search. It had already been 24 hours since he had left Chaud to look for more information on Mr. Lance and the only thing that he had discovered was that he owned a group of research and development teams that he headed under Tech Works. Many of which had just recently been sold off for a tidy profit and one had been destroyed in a very suspicious 'freak' accident. He looked up at one of the billboards and saw an advertisement for research staff for Phoenix Labs…which was where Emma worked…which had just been sold. Protoman opened a link to his PET.

'Chaud?' He said questioningly. There was no response. Chaud wouldn't have just left it anywhere. He noticed that he was looking out of a high window. Chaud had to still be at his office. He decided against leaving a message. There was no telling who would read it and besides… he still had to keep looking.

The two girls had successfully bought, thanks to Yai's father, a lab just 2 streets down from Emma's house and more than enough equipment to go with it. As they walked out of a computer store a truck pulled out of the depo and headed off towards the lab. They continued down the street together.

'Glyde posted an ad on the net for any researchers so you should have a full team soon enough.' Yai said.

'That's great.' Emma smiled. 'Is there anything in particular that you want developed for Glyde?'

'Well what do you think would be best?' Yai asked.

'I'd have to take a closer look at him before telling you that.' Emma laughed. 'So you don't have any ideas?'

'Glyde is an organiser, not so much a fighter.' Yai said quickly.

'So when shall I take a look at him?' Emma asked.

'Now is good. The lab should be set up by now. My father knows the best people.' Yai said. 'Glyde, call up my car.'

'Of course Miss Yai.' Glyde said and within what could have only been moments the pink limo stopped beside them.

'Very impressive.' Emma muttered as she climbed into the limo. God even the inside was pink, very pink.

'Take us to Phoenix Labs.' Yai instructed the driver and he immediately started driving.

'You know it's not that far. We could have just walked.' Emma said casually.

'Why walk when we can travel in style.' Yai said. This wasn't Emma's idea of style. She would have preferred to have walked and kept her dignity intact rather than travel 2 streets in a pink limo. The arrived at the lab and both scooted out of the limo, which promptly drove off.

'Wow. It's beautiful.' Emma murmured. It was a single storey, detached building which sat a few hundred yards away from the pavement. It was a creamy white with solid oak doors and window frames. Emma ran up to the front door and pushed it a little. It opened and she sprinted inside. Yai quickly walked through the first and less important room and came up behind Emma and watched her dart around the room poking and prodding all of the new equipment. There was what looked like 2 tables in the centre of the room which were surrounded by several computers and consoles.

'Here. Here.' Emma cried as she pointed to one of the consoles. 'Jack Glyde in here.' Yai did what Emma wanted and Glyde appeared lying down on one of the tables. A white light ran over Glyde and he squirmed. 'It'll take the computers a while to process the data.'

'Take the rest of the day off.' Yai told Emma. She pointed to an email on her PET. 3 new staff members had been hired. 'I expect you to work hard tomorrow and I want results.'

'And you'll get them. I won't quit.' Emma told Yai proudly. It had taken a while for Yai to convince Emma to leave the lab. Emma was so fascinated by the new equipment that she was hardly listening to Yai. It was only when Yai threatened to get Glyde to crash the systems that Emma listened.

'Do you need a ride home?' Yai offered.

'I'm good.' Emma replied. She didn't want to get back in that pink limo, ever. Yai got back into her limo and waved as she was driven off.

Once back at home. Emma hummed away tidying up as Angel X played with the blue mettaurs. She danced around happily and Angel X looked at her operator in a confused manner.

'Emma…?' She started. Emma stopped skipping around and sat down in front of the computer.

'What's up?' Emma asked. She was close to song. She hadn't realised just how great having friends was.

'I know that you're happy about the new lab but…are you going to see Chaud again?' Angel X asked. 'I mean, he did check up on you just like he said he would.' Emma flopped back against the back rest of the chair.

'I want to see him again…' Emma muttered. '…but, with what's been happening…'

'Forget about everything. Just email him.' Angel X said as if it was simple.

'I can't…' Emma mumbled.

'No good.' Angel X said and she disappeared into the internet.

'Oh god no.' Emma muttered. She knew that Angel X had gone looking for Protoman so that he could pass a message onto Chaud.

Angel X integrated in the stands of the net battle arena. She looked down into the stadium and saw Sharkman launching a water tower at Gutsman. She watched the 2 navis throw attacks at each other even though it was clear that Sharkman was going to be victorious. She let her gaze wander around the stands. He had to be here, he looked like he couldn't resist a challenge. Sure enough, he was over in the left wing of the stands. Angel X ran over to him.

'Protoman!' She yelled as she skidded to a halt beside him. 'How are you?' She slapped him playfully on his back and he tried to shrug her off.

'I'm fine. How is Emma? Chaud is still…concerned for her.' Protoman asked.

'She's okay but…' Angel X started. 'She wants to see Chaud again.' Protoman took in a sharp breath. 'I don't know whether he wants to see her but…' She didn't finish her sentence. Protoman knew what she was asking.

'I'll tell him to meet her.' Protoman said.

'You can't say it like that!' Angel X whined. Protoman looked at her and for the first time her noticed her blue eyes. He swallowed quickly.

'Then I'll make sure that he knows that she wishes to see him.' Protoman tried.

'That's a little better.' Angel X said.

'Has something happened to her?' Protoman asked.

'Her father…he's dead, some accident at one of the labs.' Angel X replied coldly. 'I think that she'll be happier without him.'

'Wait, the man who died at the lab was her father?' Protoman asked hurriedly.

'You know about the accident?' Angel X questioned. 'And yes.'

'Chaud will definitely want to talk to Emma if that is true.' Protoman said clearly.

'Why?' Angel X pleaded as she grabbed his arm in despair. 'What did he do?'

'He tried to attack Master Blaze.'

'Chaud's father?'

'Yes.'

'Oh god.'


	5. Chapter 5

I know its been a while and im sorry. Been very busy over the summer holidays.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

'_Chaud will definitely want to talk to Emma if that is true.' Protoman said clearly. _

'_Why?' Angel X pleaded as she grabbed his arm in despair. 'What did he do?'_

'_He tried to attack Master Blaze.'_

'_Chaud's father?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_Oh god.'_

Emma sat on one of the tables in her new lab and uniform, waiting for her new assistants to arrive. She sighed, all she wanted was to get to work, she didn't understand why she had to wait for them.

'Miss Lance?' A nervous voice asked. Emma looked across at the 3 new people in the room, all were male. They were all dressed the same, white shirt with the new Phoenix Labs logo and black trousers. Emma's was a little different, she had a short skirt and knee high socks instead of the trousers.

'Oh hi.' Emma smiled. 'Are you the new help?' They all nodded cautiously. 'Well, don't bother with the Miss Lance stuff, just call me Emma okay.'

'Sure.' The one with the blue hair said.

'So what are your names?' Emma asked.

'I'm Jake.' The one with the blue hair continued. 'He's Alex.' He pointed to the one with blond hair and glasses. 'And he's Daniel.' He pointed to the guy with long brown hair which was pulled back into a ponytail who waved.

'Hi.' Emma smiled. 'Well then, let's get to work.'

'So what are we working on?' Alex asked. He leaned on the table that Emma was sitting on.

'I have a program called phoenix that needs finishing. And Yai's netnavi Glyde needs new, personalised battlechips.' Emma told them all. 'Who here is best at AI programming?' Jake raised his hand slowly. 'Okay, then your with me on the phoenix. Alex, Daniel, Glyde's blueprints are on the hard drive. Look at what he could use.' The guys nodded and moved to separate consoles.

'Hey Emma!' Angel X cried from one of the consoles. They guys nearly dropped their folders, she was that loud. 'Guess what!'

'Hmmm.' Emma mumbled.

'Emma!' Angel X screeched. Emma turned to the console where Angel X was.

'Where have you been? I was looking for you earlier.' Emma said offhand.

'I was talking with Protoman if you must know.' Angel X answered. 'And…you're seeing Chaud tomorrow.'

'What!' Emma yelped. 'What did you do!' Alex and Daniel looked over their shoulders at Emma with raised eyebrows.

'Hey Angel X, can you two talk about this later? And can you talk to Dotman for me? Tell him what you know about the phoenix.' Jake asked. Angel X smiled sweetly at him and nodded. She transferred across to the console where Jake was sitting. She materialised next to Dotman, who looked a lot like Numberman crossed with a Dalmatian.

'Greetings Angel X.' He beeped. 'Please will you tell me of this phoenix.'

'Sure.' Angel X said. 'The phoenix was originally designed to…'

It had taken Angel X 2 hours to tell Dotman everything she knew about the phoenix. Alex and Daniel had come up with a few ideas for Glyde and were starting to make plans and build on them. Emma sighed, she was hungry.

'How 'bout we stop for a bit.' Emma said. The guys looked at her with grins on their faces. She stretched out in her chair, yawning.

'You can't be tired already can you?' Alex asked.

'I'm a night person.' Emma replied.

'So… what's happening between you and Chaud?' Daniel asked curiously. 'Chaud Blaze right? I mean, how many Chauds are there?' Emma practically fell off her chair.

'She's meeting him tomorrow.' Angel X smiled.

'Angel X!' Emma yelled as she went bright red. She stood up quickly, knocking her chair back. 'I'm going for a walk.' She walked straight out of the lab without picking up her PET.

'Is she okay?' Jake asked.

'She'll be fine once she's calmed down a bit.' Angel X smiled. 'She's not used to working with other people.'

'Really? How come?' Jake asked. 'She seems to get along with people fine.' Angel X's smile fell.

'She wasn't like this before.' She said quietly. 'She used to stay in a room of computers, alone, for weeks at a time. She used to say things too. Talk about how she missed the net and how she wished she could enter it and escape.' She paused for a moment, shuddering at the memories. 'Her father…he would visit her…just to be ignored or to be looked past while she worked on odd projects. Ever since she could use a computer, she spoke about 'Alpha', not that I know what she ever meant by it. I've looked high and low for a reference but nothing comes up.' The guys looked down at the floor. They never would have guessed. She always looked so…happy.

Emma half trudged along the street as she looked up at the clouds. She sighed, she was doing that a lot lately. Angel X was trying too hard to get her to see Chaud. Didn't she realise that these types of things needed to be dealt with slowly and carefully. She continued to walk down the street, blissfully ignorant of the world around her. A black car with blacked out windows pulled up next to her and the door opened. Emma didn't even bother to look at who was getting out of the car.

'Emma?' Chaud asked. She spun around quickly, and sure enough, there was Chaud, still with his hand on the door.

'Ch…Chaud…' Emma stammered. He closed the car door and the car drove off.

'Mind if I walk with you?' He asked politely. Emma nodded and continued walking. Chaud joined her, with his hands in his pockets. 'I hear that Angel X and Protoman arranged for us to meet up tomorrow.' Emma didn't reply. She was too busy concentrating on the street, trying to avoid looking at Chaud. 'So…I was wondering…what you wanted to do…I mean, usually something would come up and I wouldn't be able to make it, but Protoman has added it to my schedule and wont let anyone have an appointment near it. So there is no way that I could possibly get out of it, unless some emergency came up.' He looked at her but she was still looking at the floor. 'Not that…I'd want to…leave.' She looked up, shocked, and then looked at him and he was looking across the street with a distinct shade of pink across his cheeks. She smiled, so he did like her, even if he didn't want to admit it.

'I don't know.' She said and he looked at her again, she was still smiling. 'I don't know many places here yet.' She stepped in front of him so that they were face to face. 'You pick. Wait…what time did they choose?' Chaud thought for a minute, remembering.

'6 o'clock.' He said.

'Dinner.' She said quickly.

'Huh…?' Chaud mumbled. 'Dinner?'

'Yeah, you could take me for dinner tomorrow.' She smiled. Chaud's PET beeped.

'Chaud. Angel X has a message for Emma.' Protoman said from under Chaud's jacket. Chaud took Protoman from his pouch and handed him to Emma. 'Get back to work right now before I fry all this new equipment.' Protoman recited. Emma, to Chaud's amazement, giggled.

'Tell her I'll be there soon.' Emma said and Protoman left the PET to pass on the message. Emma looked up at the clouds again, a little happier.

'I heard something happened with your father.' Chaud said quickly. 'That there was an accident.' Emma froze. How did he know?

'It's better that he's gone. He never liked me.' Emma scowled.

'I'm sure you don't mean that.' Chaud muttered.

'I do. He never wanted me anywhere near a computer or a navi. He never wanted me to do anything.' Emma hissed. Her anger was mounting, just remembering him was infuriating. Suddenly she softened. 'But…he would always tell me that he could never lose me. That he would never let them take me.'

'Who?' Chaud asked.

'I don't know. And I bet he was lying. No one would ever want to take me away.' Emma whispered. Chaud didn't know what to do. He felt like he was being torn in two. One part of him was telling him, you hardly know her, don't get involved, while the other part was telling him to comfort her, somehow. 'But I'd rather not talk about my father right now. As far as I'm concerned he's gone.'

'Well…' Chaud started.

'So, where shall we go tomorrow?' Emma cut in.

'What…oh…I'll find somewhere nice. Protoman can tell you later.' Chaud said quickly.

'Well I've gotta go back to work now.' Emma smiled and went to run off. She stopped before she got into a sprint and looked over her shoulder at Chaud, smiling, before running back to work.

'Thanks for coming back.' Angel X grumbled, but there was an obvious sign that she was happy that Emma had been with Chaud. Emma smiled and went back to her seat. Daniel and Alex looked at each other before turning to Emma.

'We've got some ideas for Glyde's new battle chips.' Alex said.

'Well get started then.' Emma smiled, she was doing that a lot recently, and she pointed to Angel X. 'She can test them when you need to. But right now I'm working on the phoenix.' She opened a new window and the phoenix appeared.

_Hello sister. _It said telepathically to Emma.

'Hello. We are nearly finished with you. Then you can do what you like.' Emma said.

_Can't I stay with you? _It asked. Jake looked over at Emma, she looked like she was thinking.

'What's up?' He asked.

'The phoenix…it's talking to me.' Emma whispered.

'Talking? How?' He asked.

'I think that it might be telepathic.' Emma suggested.

'How could it be telepathic?' He questioned.

'I dunno, maybe it learned by itself. It is AI after all.' Emma said. 'But it wants to stay here.'

_The others, our brothers will come. _It said. Emma looked at it, was it concerned? _They want you back. They won't stop until you return to the Alpha. _The Alpha, she hadn't heard that in years.

'Why not let it.' Jake said. 'I mean, we've got plenty of room.'

'Okay then phoenix, you can stay, but you need a name.'

_A name?_ It asked.

'Yeah, calling you phoenix all the time, it's not very nice. Plus…are you a boy or a girl?' Emma asked.

_I want to be Theo…and I will be a boy. _It answered.

'It says that it wants to be a boy and to be called Theo.' Emma explained.

'Hello Theo.' Jake smiled. Theo cocked his head as he looked at Jake.

_Hello. _Theo mimicked. _Are you Emma's friend? Will you be my friend too?_ Jake looked over at Emma, she couldn't hear it and had started to work with Alex and Daniel.

'Yes I'm Emma's friend. And I'll be yours too.' He answered.

It had been a long day at the lab for Emma. Once she was home she collapsed onto the sofa and yawned. Angel X was in the main computer, Theo was sleeping back at the lab, and she was talking to Protoman who was also in the computer.

'So Chaud'll pick Emma up at 6 and take her to the Silver Wing restaurant?' Angel X asked.

'Yes. Will you be going?' Protoman asked.

'Um…I don't know. I don't think I'm needed at a restaurant.' Angel X muttered as she looked over at the heap that was Emma. 'Why don't we go do something? I mean, obviously we'll keep connected to out PET's.'

'Do something? Like what?' He asked.

'I dunno…maybe we could go for a walk around the city?' Angel X suggested. Protoman nodded. Angel X squealed and tackle hugged Protoman, knocking him to the floor. During all of this, Emma had got herself into bed.

'Keep it down would you.' Emma grumbled with her head in the pillows. 'I want to sleep.' Angel X looked down at Protoman who was underneath her and smiled at him. He was very attractive. She got up off him and helped him up.

'I guess I'll see you tomorrow…at 6.' Angel X blushed. 'Goodnight Protoman.' With that he disappeared. She looked at Emma, who had fallen asleep despite the noise of the computers. 'Goodnight Emma.'

There was darkness everywhere and Emma was sitting curled up on the floor. She was in a loose cotton white dress and her hair was loose. She looked up, there were footsteps and they were getting closer. A net navi appeared from the darkness. They had several large points which were webbed sticking out of their head and wore a large brown cape and had a star on their forehead.

'Sister.' They said. Emma looked up at him. 'Can you not remember me? We were together once, in the Alpha, and together we can be in control.'

'So you are one of my brothers?' Emma asked him.

'Yes. You are our only sister. You were the first of us all.' He answered. He knelt down beside her and put his hand on her head.

'The first…of us all…?' Emma repeated. 'So where are the others?'

'They…some are gone…the rest are waiting for you. You will unite us when you come home.' He answered.

'How do I do that?' Emma asked.

'So many questions Sister.' He smiled. 'But you already know the answers to them.' He put his hand under her chin and made her look at him. 'Do not make us wait Sister…'

She woke with a start, practically throwing the covers off the bed, startled and scared. It was that again, the Alpha, it was haunting her again. But what was it…what did it have to do with her, and who were these 'brothers'? She looked over at the computer, it was still on, and Angel X was sending blue mettaurs off to do random tasks.

'Angel X…' Emma yawned. The navi looked over at her sleepy operator. 'What time is it?'

'From the looks of you…too early…but its 6:57am, you needed to wake up soon anyway, rise and shine.' Angel X chirped. Emma rolled out of bed and pulled herself up so that she was standing. 'Looking forwards to your date this evening?' Emma was still too asleep to being paying close enough attention to what was being said.

'Hmmm…yeah.' She mumbled. 'Tea.' One word was enough, she needed caffeine to wake up properly, because otherwise it would be another hour before she became coherent. She flicked the kettle on and found a mug and a teabag.

'I've been talking to Glyde, apparently Yai is happy to lend you a dress for this evening, since…well…you don't have any evening wear.' Angel X continued. 'So Yai is going to come by the Lab and pick you up.' Angel X kept on talking knowing that Emma was hearing only half of it. 'Just hurry up and go to work.' Emma swallowed a mouthful of tea and began to change into her work clothes.

'I'm going I'm going.' Emma mumbled as she pulled on her shirt.

Time at the Lab passed quickly, there was so much happening. Daniel and Alex had produced a partial 'Glyde Blade' which they had Angel X testing repeatedly while Emma and Jake had been programming a chip they called 'Swift Speed'. Before they knew it, it was 5:30pm and Yai walking into the Lab.

'How's it going in here?' Yai asked. Emma stood and greeted Yai.

'We've got a few projects going for Glyde.' Emma said. 'And if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?'

'Don't you remember? I said I would lend you a dress for your date. And… you've got half an hour to get home and ready!' Yai yelled and grabbed Emma by the wrist, pulling her out the Lab.

'I'll see you tomorrow guys…' Emma's voice trailed off and the guys shrugged, returning to their work. It didn't take long to get back to Emma's and Yai had hundreds of dresses. She kept suggesting dress but Emma would cast them aside.

'Yai, these are all to fancy. I want something…' Emma mumbled. '…I don't know…not these ones.' She threw aside another dress, it landed on the growing pile.

'He's going to be here soon!' Yai yelped. She picked up another dress, a midnight blue one which fell down past the knees, and threw it at Emma. It caught her in the face before falling into her hands. 'Try it on!' The doorbell went and Emma hurriedly pulled it on. Yai ran down the stairs and flung the door open.

'Ch…Chaud…' Yai stammered and she blushed. Chaud was standing in the doorway in a black suit, white shirt and a deep red tie.

'Oh. Yai. Where is Emma?' He asked. At that moment Emma appeared at the top of the stairs. She wore the midnight blue dress, it fell perfectly on her. She had tied back the top half of her hair and let the rest fall naturally. Chaud's jaw dropped, she looked… beautiful.

'Hi Chaud…' Emma said quietly as she came down the stairs.

'You didn't tell me…' Yai started.

'We should go.' Chaud interrupted, his senses returning to him.

'I'll see you tomorrow Yai.' Emma said as she walked out of the door. Yai left too, returning to her limo, seething but also ashamed. Chaud followed Emma out and she locked the door. Yai's limo drove off in a hurry and Chaud's blacked out car was left.

He opened the door for her, exercising perfect manners, and she stepped into the car. Chaud closed the door softly and got in the car on its other side. In the short journey to the restaurant, nothing was said between the two, both kept to simply blushing. They arrived and Emma's door was opened by the driver. She slid out of the car gracefully and Chaud followed her. She looked at the restaurant.

'This is amazing Chaud.' She whispered. He held his arm out for her and coughed lightly. She looked at his arm and slipped hers into his. He led her into the restaurant.

'Name?' The waiter asked.

'Blaze.' Chaud said. The waiter led the two to a secluded table, sat them down, gave them menus and left.

'This is amazing Chaud.' Emma repeated. 'This place is beautiful.' He looked across the table at her, he couldn't say it. It was like there was something stuck in his throat, so he just nodded.

Angel X and Protoman were standing at the top of one of the skyscrapers in the cyber city. They were leaning against the rails and Angel X was watching a cyber bird fly in the sky.

'It's so pretty and peaceful.' Angel X commented. Protoman looked down at the streets, something was wrong. Navi's were running everywhere, it looked like madness.

'Excuse me.' He muttered and he jumped over the railings.

'Wait Protoman!' Angel X cried and she followed him. They landed heavily on the pavement and ran through the crowds together, splitting up only to hasten their journey. There in the middle on the street, was a lone navi, holding another in its hand by their neck.

'Bass.' Protoman muttered. Bass snapped the neck of the navi and it disintegrated, deleted.

'Bass? Who's he?' Angel X asked quickly.

'We need Chaud.' Protoman said. 'Go and get Emma and Chaud. I'll keep it occupied.'

'You'll need help!' Angel X cried.

'There's no time! Go!' He yelled. Angel X touched her winged symbol on her chest.

_The phoenix, Theo…_ She thought.

'I'll be back as soon as I can!' She called as she transported herself away.

_I hope Theo is still back at the Lab. _

Emma put her knife and fork down and took a quick drink of water.

'That was lovely Chaud.' She said. Chaud too, put down his knife and fork.

'It was okay…' He replied. 'But the company was…great.' Emma smiled at him before hearing her PET beeping from her bag under the table.

'Excuse me.' She mumbled. She found her PET and saw Angel X looking rather beaten up. 'What's happened?'

'It's someone called Bass. Protoman needs Chaud.' Angel X said quickly. Chaud took the PET.

'Bass? I thought that he had been delt with.' He said. 'Where is Protoman?'

'Here. I'll show you.' Angel X said, coughing for a moment. She opened a video link and Protoman, Theo and Bass were on screen. Protoman and Theo were trying desperately to keep Bass at bay but were struggling. Chaud passed the PET back to Emma. He found his own and got to his feet.

'I need to jack in. Protoman needs my help.' Chaud said quickly. He turned back to Emma, but she was staring at the screen of her PET in shock. 'Emma.'

'Emma?' Angel X asked.

'It's him…' Emma stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. 'It's him…'

_It's my…brother…Bass…_ She thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry about not re-submitting this chapter, i took it off because of a problem and then forgot to submit it again. I havent changed anything at all.

Enjoy!

* * *

'_I need to jack in. Protoman needs my help.' Chaud said quickly. He turned back to Emma, but she was staring at the screen of her PET in shock. 'Emma.'_

'_Emma?' Angel X asked. _

'_It's him…' Emma stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. 'It's him…'_

It's my…brother…Bass…_ She thought. _

'What? Him?' Chaud asked quickly, he was in a hurry. Emma looked up at him with confused eyes before returning to a sense of normality.

'Forget it.' She said quickly, getting up from her chair. They walked together out of the restaurant. The waiter came up to them as they were leaving.

'Excuse me but…are you dissatisfied?' He asked.

'No. Charge the meal to my father's account.' Chaud said quickly and pushed past the waiter, through the doors.

'I'm sure we'll be back another time.' Emma smiled as she followed him. She stepped out into the street and was hit by a wall of cold air. 'Chaud! Where are you going!' She ran to keep up with him, struggling because of her shoes. He turned to look back at her.

'I need a jack in port that isn't in a public place!' He cried back. She pushed on, desperate to get level with him. She looked down at her PET which was still in her hand.

'How's he doing?' She asked.

'I'm going to go and help him. Bass is interfering with my video link.' Angel X said, there was a tone of concern in her voice. She disappeared from the screen and Emma concentrated on running again. Chaud turned a corner and Emma followed, twisting her ankle slightly. He didn't slow, pushing ahead. He turned again, heading for a warehouse. She followed, ignoring the ache in her ankle. He burst through the doors of the warehouse and ran up to an old computer, jacking in, connecting to Protoman. Emma also jacked into the computer and kicked off her shoes. They made a loud bang as they hit the floor that echoed around the near empty warehouse. They saw Angel X, Protoman and Theo all attacking Bass, struggling.

'Chaud…' Emma whispered with her teeth practically chattering. He looked at her. She was so cold. He took off his suit jacket and slipped it onto her shoulders before returning his attention to the computer and his PET. Emma couldn't help but look into his eyes, they were determined and hurt.

'Protoman.' He said. 'Let's get started. Full-syncro!'

'Angel X! Full-syncro!' Emma cried. The jacket was heavy on her shoulders and she felt herself shift into sync with her navi. She saw Bass right in front of her, with power overflowing from him.

'Bass…' Emma whispered. Protoman leapt forwards with a life sword and swung at Bass. 'No…I can't do this.'

'Emma, we have to help them.' Angel X said. 'We HAVE to.' Emma watched as Bass played with Protoman and looked over at Chaud. He had a cut on his face reaching from his jaw up to just below the corner of his eye. She dropped to her knees.

'I'm sorry Chaud…I can't.' She gasped. Full-syncro broke off and Emma's gaze dropped to the floor. Chaud didn't have time to look at her. Bass was toying with Protoman, as if waiting for something.

'Protoman!' Chaud yelled and he slammed a battle chip into his PET. ……… Bass dodged the attack with ease and went for Angel X who was standing watching Protoman.

'Emma!' She cried. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't even run. 'Emma!' Emma snapped to attention and stood up quickly.

'Angel X full-syncro!' Emma yelled and she jerked into it. She could see Bass still coming at Angel X and she could also see Protoman desperately running for Angel X.

_No, I won't let this happen. I won't let you hurt everyone. _She thought as she raised her arms with Angel X. _I won't let you hurt Chaud and Protoman. _Suddenly Bass stopped in his tracks, just millimetres from Angel X.

'I have to thank you Bass.' Emma said. 'You blew up that lab where my father was didn't you?' Chaud looked at Emma, she was shaking violently and her skin had gone an unnatural deathly white.

'I had to.' Bass smirked. 'He was holding you back.' He reached out and placed his hand on Angel X's face. 'But this is not you. You make me wait. Why?' Emma felt herself jerk and her stomach lurched. Chaud looked away, but he could hear her being violently sick. 'Tell me what's happening Bass.' Emma barked as she wiped her face. Bass let out a wicked laugh.

'You should know. Or did he do something else to you too?' Bass asked with a frown. 'What else did he take from you?' Chaud and Protoman could only stand and watch.

'He didn't take anything from me.' Emma replied.

'Heh. Soon you will see. Soon you will remember.' Bass muttered. 'I will find you again and by then you may have gained more of yourself.' He stroked the side of Angel X's face and disappeared. Emma and Angel X shifted out of full-syncro but Chaud and Protoman kept their guard up. Angel X glared at Emma.

'What the hell was that all about!' She screeched.

'He's gone Chaud.' Protoman said. 'I don't think he's coming back.' Chaud sighed and released full-syncro. Emma dropped back down to the floor and took a deep breath.

'I don't know but…' Emma started. She looked up at Chaud with a weak smile. 'He's gone.' She turned back to her PET. 'I think you should jack out. I want to run some tests.'

'You too Protoman.' Chaud ordered. Both navis returned to their PET's and Angel X submitted herself to the PET's normal tests. Emma looked at her dress and then and Chaud's suit. They had got pretty dirty from the warehouse.

'I don't think we can go back to the restaurant like this.' Emma said softly. It took Chaud a few short seconds to realise what she meant. She laughed when he eventually reacted, which just confused him. 'Maybe I should just go home.' She stood up again and took Chaud's jacket off. Her shoulders were attacked by the cold but still she passed it back to him. He put it on even though he could see that she was cold. 'Ummm…I don't know how to get home from here…'

'I'll take you.' Chaud said quickly before his brain had a chance to think. They left the warehouse and started back down the maze of streets they had gone down earlier. The pain returned to Emma's ankle and she winced with every step. It took Chaud only a few moments to notice. 'Are…are you okay?' She looked over at him with a fake smile.

'I'm fine Chaud.' She smiled but her smile broke as soon as her foot hit the ground.

'You're not okay.' He said quickly. 'You shouldn't be walking if you've hurt your ankle.'

'It's not like there's anything we can do about it right now.' Emma replied. Her ankle gave way and she started to fall. Chaud grabbed her wrist and pulled her in towards him and wrapped his other arm around her waist. 'Ch…Chaud…' Emma's face flushed a deep red, and so did Chaud's.

'I don't want you to get hurt.' He whispered. Their faces were so close. Emma was completely lost in his eyes and she could feel his warm breath against her skin. Chaud's hand was moving before his brain could think, it moved up her back, pulling her as close as possible. A thousand thoughts raced through Emma's mind but one stuck out, _kiss him, kiss him you fool_, but her body wouldn't move.

'Chaud…' Emma murmured. She summoned the energy to move her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders, and buried her face in his neck. 'Thank you.' He smiled softly and simply held her.

It had taken them an hour to reach Emma's house after their long pause in the street. As soon as they had arrived Chaud had made sure to make Emma rest her ankle and they were sitting together on the sofa, Emma was leaning up against Chaud, who was sitting normally, she had her legs stretched out and her bad ankle was on the armrest. Chaud's arm was around her stomach and her hands were resting on his arm.

'Chaud, it's getting late. Don't you have work in the morning?' Emma asked. Chaud squirmed. He did need to go back to the office in the morning. She sat up. 'I've got to work too.' She turned so that she was looking at him. 'I don't want you to get in trouble.' She got up off the sofa and pulled him up to. She didn't let go of his hand until they were at the door.

'I'll come by and see you soon.' Chaud whispered softly in her ear. She kissed his cheek quickly before stepping back.

'I hope you do.' She smiled. He walked out of the door, gave a half-awake wave and then walked off. Emma shut the door and ran back to the computer. 'Angel X! Angel X!'

'What?' The navi responded. 'It's late. You've got to get up for work soon.'

'I want you to find everything you can about Bass!' Emma yelped. Angel X's eyes sharpened.

'What.' She said quickly. 'Why?'

'I need to find him again. There is something I have to ask.' Emma muttered.

'You can't ask me?' Angel X asked harshly.

'I know that it is possible for a human mind to enter the network…but…how long can it stay there before it is trapped?' Emma asked quietly.

'Why would you be thinking about that?' Angel X asked anxiously.

'It's nothing. Don't worry.' Emma laughed.

'You should be more concerned about Chaud than Bass.' Angel X said. 'I mean, I saw you give him a kiss goodbye.' Emma blushed and turned away from the computer.

'My relationship with Chaud is none of your business.' Emma answered.

'Huh? So there is a relationship?' Angel X said slyly.

'Just look for Bass.' Emma mumbled.

'Fine…fine…' Angel X muttered. She opened a link to the internet. 'See you soon!' Emma watched Angel X leave and the sighed. She knew Bass, but yet everything was hidden from her. She sat down on the sofa, her thoughts of Chaud and Bass were clashing and it was giving her a headache. Something, that niggling feeling, was telling her that she would have to choose between them. Chaud was great, he made her feel special, but he was cold at times. Bass on the other hand, seemed to know about her past even if he wasn't telling her everything. She hung her head forward, this was too much. She couldn't choose until she knew more about Bass.

Chaud turned on his computer and Protoman moved from the PET to the PC.

'Sir?' Protoman asked tentatively. 'How did your evening go, before the incident?' Chaud's mind flicked back to the instant when she could have only been half a centimetre from his face. He could remember everything about her face, her long eyelashes, the way she smiled, her beautiful eyes and the way her expression softened when she looked at him. 'Sir?'

'It was quite pleasant Protoman, she is rather good company.' Chaud said quickly.

'Rather good company?' Protoman repeated. He thought about it for a moment. 'Why don't you just admit to liking her?' Chaud didn't respond and so Protoman decided that he was right, Chaud did like Emma.

Emma was distracted at work, she couldn't concentrate. Theo wasn't helping either.

_Sister! You saw him didn't you!_ He called out. Emma was glad that only she could hear him.

'Yeah.' She muttered vaguely. The others had got used to random words being spoken. They had all got used to Theo wanting to talk to Emma the most.

_Isn't Brother wonderful? He only wants you to go home…_ Theo said. Emma merely nodded when Angel X appeared on the screen.

'There's a video file waiting for you at home. It's from…your brother.' Angel X said, nearly whispering the last part.

'Yeah.' Emma muttered. She couldn't concentrate on anything, her mind was still racing, calculating. Theo knew what she was thinking, he knew what Bass had said.

_I don't know how long you would last in the network Sister. _He said, almost saddened by his words. He didn't want her to be this tense. _But Brother will tell you why he wants you. _

'I hope so. This is driving me nuts.' Emma muttered.

'Erm, Emma…' Daniel muttered, poking her with his chewed up pen. Emma leaned back in her chair with a dazed expression on her face.

'Huh?' Emma groaned. Daniel pointed at his screen.

'There's a video message from Miss. Yai.' He said, 'She wants to know how things are going.' Emma flung her head back and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Stress was building. She reached for a button on the panel in front of her and pressed it, barely reaching. Yai's face flickered onto the screen and Emma pulled her head back up.

'Emma. I haven't heard from you in a while.' Yai said calmly.

'I email you every other day.' Emma mumbled.

'Yes but you don't tell me too much about what you are actually doing.' Yai added.

'Oh, right. Well, how about a demonstration?' Emma asked. 'Tomorrow any good for you?' Yai nodded. 'I'll meet you in the west arena around 2 then.' Emma pressed the button again, cutting Yai off before she could rebuke. Alex got up from his station and walked over to Emma, leaning over her.

'Angel X, didn't you say Emma had a video file waiting at home?' He asked.

'Yeah, I would transfer it, but when I try to the file become corrupted.' Angel X explained. She was being completely honest. Bass had obviously done something to stop it being witnessed in public.

'Okay okay.' Emma grumbled. 'I'm going to head home. I'll see you guys in the morning to finish up the chips we've been working on so that I can show them to Yai.' She rose from her seat and Angel X disappeared from the screen. With her net navi gone, the guys all looked at Emma.

'Is everything okay?' Jake asked as he tossed her coat across the room. Emma caught it with a weak smile.

'Okay. I mean, I'm used to being alone but it's weird not having my father watching my every move.' She muttered darkly. She walked off, out of the lab and they guys sighed. There was nothing they could do if she wouldn't tell them what was wrong. Emma started down the street despite the rain. It wasn't too heavy but she was getting soaked pretty quickly. She looked up at the clouds as she walked. Her eyes were heavy. There were so many questions she needed answers to. It didn't take her long to get home. She dropped the sodden coat onto the floor and she headed straight for the computer despite being soaked. Angel X had turned on the computer beforehand and had the video file waiting for her. Emma sat down silently and nodded to Angel X who, without saying a word, played the video. Bass came into the open window with a fuzzy black area behind him which looked somewhat like a night sky.

'Sister, I come to you to tell you what your 'father' failed to.' Bass said. 'Firstly, you were not human to begin with.' A picture of her parents appeared on the screen. 'Your parents, as you know, were scientists. Your grandfather worked on the Alpha project with Dr. Hikari. It was discovered, thanks to me, that you had been created by the information networks instability. You are the first AI to be created by the will of information. To begin with, you were a silent being who merely watched as the world passed by. It was only when the Alpha project ceased that you awoke, determined to find yourself a new place to live.' The image changed to a laboratory filled with test tubes and odd looking experiments set up. 'It took them years to build you a body. At first, they accelerated the body's aging process to match your actual age. But the body couldn't cope. Eventually, you accepted a body, the body of a baby girl. Do not worry sister, each body created for you had no mind of its own, it was not true life.' A picture of Emma as a baby with her parents came up on the screen and Emma's eyes filled with tears. 'There was only one problem, your mind suppressed itself causing you to become reclusive and withdrawn, and there was nothing that anyone could do. Your mother died trying to find a way to release some of the information in your mind. There was an energy surge in the equipment she was using which caused the explosion that killed her. Your father on the other hand, tried to force other people to continue her research. He even went as far as to threaten Mr. Blaze. But nothing became of it. It was then when he finally gave up on you. I then decided that the only way to save you, and your beautiful mind, was to invite you back into the world where you came from.' The windows with the images closed and Bass closed his eyes and gave a slight bow. 'I leave you now my sister. You may begin to remember things now.' Emma sighed as the video stopped.

'So… what do you think?' Angel X asked. She perched herself on the edge of a folder, leaning lazily. Emma rubbed her temples. They were sore, throbbing even.

'It hurts.' Emma muttered as she ran her hands over her head.

'Learning something like this will hurt. I'm not sure I even believe it all.' Angel X added. Emma clutched her head tightly, digging her fingernail into her scalp.

'No…not that…my head…' Emma gasped. Blood seeped from behind her eyes and oozed down her cheeks. It also ran from her ears, running warm down her neck.

'Em…Emma?' Angel X asked.

'Agh!' Emma groaned, shutting her eyes quickly. The blood was flowing faster and faster and the pain was burning. It scorched her brain. Images flashed up inside her brain. She opened her eyes and tried to push the images back. But she couldn't, there were too many. The blood stopped suddenly and Emma looked at Angel X who had already contacted Protoman. He was already on Emma's computer.

'Is everything alright?' He asked despite seeing Emma dripping in her own blood.

'No!' Angel X cried at the same time Emma said 'Yes.' Angel X glared at Emma.

'I'm fine…just… a little shocked.' Emma explained. 'Don't worry about me. And don't say anything to Chaud. This is nothing.' Protoman nodded before turning to Angel X.

'If anything happens again, let me know.' He said and then he left. Angel X shot a look at Emma who tried to shrug it off.

'What was that for?' Angel X asked coldly.

'Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Why did you go running to him?' Emma asked.

'Why not! He only wants to help! Both of them do!' Angel X yelled.

'I don't care.' Emma muttered.

'What?'

'It doesn't matter. I'm going home. I'm going back where I belong.'

'What!'

'I remember things. I know how to go home.'

'You can't!'

'I can.'

'What about Chaud!' Emma froze. Chaud was now the only tie she had to the physical world. 'Will you leave him just because your so called 'brother' has told you to go home?' Emma stood up to leave.

'You don't know how this feels.' Emma hissed. 'Everything I have ever known as a human is a lie. I don't even know if these feeling I have for him are real.'

'Of course they are! You love him!' Angel X yelped.

'I'll see you when I'm myself again.' Emma said quickly. 'And when I do, I will be how I was born.' She grabbed her wet coat and walked out. Angel X's face dropped.

'Why…?' She cried, tears trickling down her face. She didn't know what to do. She looked out of the computer at the room and the blood stained carpet. There was nothing she could do.

'Wait…' Angel X thought aloud. 'You need a lab. Yai!' She immediately connected herself to Yai's home computer and began to transfer herself. She had to get help.


End file.
